Ann Arbor, Michigan bought a former YMCA building to serve as affordable housing. Four years later, it sits empty, a piece of the difficult housing puzzle. 'Given the environment now, it would be tough,' says one planner about the site.
"Ann Arbor's history with housing at the old YMCA on Fifth Avenue and William Street is long and complicated.
Two decades ago, city officials promoted an expansion of the Y's dormitory-style residence to 100 units - a move that led to financial failure.
More recently, the city bought the property when the Y relocated to new quarters. The goal was to ensure that the 100 single-room-occupancy units were preserved and ultimately replaced.
But four years after the $3.5 million purchase, there's a parking lot on the corner instead of housing. And city officials are still looking for other locations for at least some of that very low-income housing."
FULL STORY: Housing may go off Y site
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions